Nouo teatro di machine et edificii per uarie et sicure operationi con le loro figure tagliate in rame e la dichiaratione e dimostratione di ciascuna Opera necessaria ad architetti.

Padua, Pietro Bertell 1607. First Edition. Folio. pp. [p. (8), 115, (1) (IV c. tra le pag. 88 e 89). Con 42 splendide tavole calcografiche. Fine engraved architectural title with putti, arms of the dedicatee above, angelic figure in oval below and forty two full-page engraved plates of machines, woodcut initials, typographical headpieces and ornaments, “Buchan” in a contemporary hand on title. Occasional light marginal spotting, the odd marginal thumb mark. A very good, clean copy, with good dark impressions of the plates in contemporary vellum over thin boards. Rare first edition of Vittorio Zonca's wonderful, inventive and most influential work, one of the classic books on machinery of the late Italian Renaissance, beautifully illustrated with forty two engraved plates depicting machines for use in paper making, printing, flour mills, silk spinning, and a speculative machine using 'perpetual motion', amongst many others. The dedication is by the printer Bertelli to Rainuccio Gambara. Little is known about Zonca (1568-1602) beyond this his major publication which describes him as 'Architect of the Commune of Padua'; it is evident from this work that he was practically involved with a wide range of disciplines, from hydraulics, to textiles, to printing. Zonca clearly takes his place along with Ramelli, Vrani, and Branca as one of the pre- eminent engineers of late C16 Italy, all of whom share a debt to Leonardo. The work is simply conceived with a detailed plate of each machine, a table…